Bringing back the backpack

Adorning the shoulders of everyone from Kanye to Style Salvage Steve and Susie Bubble, there’s no doubt the backpack is making a comeback. Well that’s what I decided the minute I happened upon the new Eley Kishimoto x Eastpak range which is jollying up the Eastpak Carnaby Street store and window display right now. After an intensive trying-on sesh and grilling the poor (but extremely accomodating) shop staff for a good ten minutes I gleaned the following. The backpacks are printed in the now-iconic flash print (I have the flash print upholstered chair and am still gutted that I never bought the flash print Globetrotter suitcase) and cost a very reasonable £60. Each product is a limited edition of 1000 (I’m guessing that means 1000 in each colour – red, blue, black?) and comes with a special edition Eley Kishimoto Eastpak enamel pin.

Now what do you do if you don’t like backpacks? Well there’s a whole host of other flash-y stuff. There are messenger bags and small shoulder bags as well as pencil cases and wallets (although they are a bit ‘ouch’ at £50 each). There are also three skateboards retailing at £350.

I’m going back for mine on Saturday and will be rocking it all through fashion week as it will be perfect for my LG laptop and inevitable gathering of press packs, passes and general paraphernalia that tend to mount up throughout the days. Well done Eley Kishimoto and Eastpak, I think this is a perfect partnership.

OK, DRG, here’s my deal: when I first started school, everyone wore backpacks. As we grew older and more fashion conscious, most other people migrated to ginormous totes or leather shoulder bags, but I still wear my rucksack. I walk every day and I can’t see that working with a ton of heavy books on one shoulder.

But in a couple of months, when I no longer wear uniform, I fear that a backpack in my current comfortable style may look slightly *too* ridiculous. Current backpack is falling apart anyway, so… these Eley bags are of course awesome but are they really going to have the comfort level for which backpacks exist? They don’t look like it from the photos, and stylish backpacks aren’t usually very well-designed… but you never know.

Good point Pretty Face BUT these are Eastpaks we’re talking about so I’m guessing they’ll be good to go. I had an Eastpak years ago and it was super-comfy. From a sartorial point of view, well, I guess that’s all a matter of taste. But personally, I can’t see how these prints won’t look fab!

I’m not feeling the print of these too much… reminds me of elementary days with the crazy colors and drawing on your own bags. I’m very down with the backpack part though, I lug my laptop and books to school and my shoulder always feels like it’ll fall off! The only downside is that I hate the feeling of the backpack on my back because it gets so hot here! Haha, I’m so hard to please!

I have a deep-rooted hate for backpacks. I hated wearing them to school as a child and would never pick one up again. I don’t mind them so much on other people, just the idea of wearing one myself makes me feel a little ill.